


Kol Nidre

by oldwickedsongs



Category: Boardwalk Empire
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Sappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 15:33:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2512778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oldwickedsongs/pseuds/oldwickedsongs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Jew boys of New York make sure there's a spot at the table for Charlie. Something just playing with the idea of Charlie as the odd man out in their family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kol Nidre

Charlie found them at four in the morning at Katz’s Deli and for several minutes he was stopped in the doorway by the image before him. The restaurant had maybe twenty people in it; mostly longshoremen who were coming off their shifts to find food before meandering home for the morning. There was a pair of cops sitting in the far corner- their helmets perched on the back of their chairs and eyes groggy from lack of sleep. They kept stealing glances at the table nearest to the counter where, oblivious to the world, sat Arnold Rothstein, Meyer Lansky and Benny Siegel locked in some conversation that was drawing all of their attention away from their surroundings. 

There were two things that caught Charlie’s attention about the scene; the first being the normally formal Rothstein had his coat off and thrown haphazardly against an empty chair. His tie was loosened around his neck and there was a smile; as honest as any Charlie had seen on him. The cake he’d ordered was abandoned in the middle of the table, the fork still stabbed into it as if the Bankroll had been distracted mid-bite. The other thing was Meyer and Benny, likewise stripped down to shirt and bracers, leaning forward- their sleeves rolled to their elbows and elbows planted on the table, listening to AR with rapt interest. Benny was still wearing his skull cap and shawl from temple. Meyer, always the more thoughtful of the two, had folded his and placed them delicately on the chair. 

Charlie realized then that AR had taken off his coat to protect them from harm in the messy, bustling restaurant. 

And quiet as a mouse, AR was half-singing, half-speaking something in Yiddish that Lucky couldn’t understand. He was looking down into the corner as if he was struggling to remember something and when he tripped up, his eyes shot back up to either Meyer or Benny who joined in- supplying the words slowly in the same hushed voice. 

Charlie had been around enough Temples to pick up the melody if not the message. It was one of the prayers from the services; calling the faithful in. He didn’t know the name and until just now hadn’t thought AR knew them either. It was a queer picture too; of course he knew AR was Jewish- it’d been the reason he first reached out to Meyer. The Bankroll also had a father across town that was considered a pillar of the community but AR had always dismissed the faith out of hand. He broached it like Charlie viewed the church; respect but from a distance. 

To see it still written across AR’s skin like this; to hear the traces of Hebrew in his boss’ drawl and see how easily he shed his persona of untouchable to protect the trappings of a faith made Charlie withdraw a little further. He didn’t know what he had stumbled on but there was an undercurrent that told him he didn’t want to interrupt. He didn’t belong.

“Charlie!” Benny had caught sight of him. “C’mon over. AR is about to pay up.”

Meyer and AR looked over at the same time, and Rothstein’s smile grew bigger as he reached over to remove his coat and Meyer’s things from the chair. He put them across his lap as Meyer pushed out the chair with his foot. 

“The boys were just challenging me to recite the Kol Nidre.” AR explained. His hand was reaching into his coat for his bankroll. The waiter was already putting another cake slice down in front of Charlie as he nestled in. “I’m afraid I lost.”

“No worries, boss.” Benny chirped up as he pocketed the ten note. “I got a 13 year old little sister. She can teach you.”

AR’s smiled remained as he handed Charlie the nearest menu. He muttered quietly, “If I asked you to muzzle him?”

“Consider it done, AR.”

“Good lad. Now get something to eat. My treat.”


End file.
